Garment and method of making the same



June 29, 1948. A. G. NEEL 2,444,405

GARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME I Filed March 13, 1946 z Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ALBERT Gems: Nan. BY

ATTORNEY A. G. NEEL GARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME June 29, 1948.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1946 INVENTOR ALBERT GEORGE Nam.

ATTORNEY Patented June 29, 1948 Z 9 9 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARMENT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Albert George Neel, Nazareth, Pa., assignor to Nazareth Mills, Incorporated, Nazareth, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 13, 1946, Serial No. 654.021 7 Claims. (01. 2-421) My invention is an improved body garment, be made by seaming together the tops of the and method of making the same, to provide corresponding shoulder straps; Fig. 5 is a pattern shoulders formed of overlapping layers of fabfor guiding the cutting from folded fabric of ric stretchable in transverse directions to permit a sleeve blank having integral flaps in accordthe expansion of the neck openin for the pas- 5 ance with my invention; Fig. 6 is a plan view of Sage of the head of the wearer. an unfolded sleeve blank and integral flaps out In the preferred embodiment of my invention from folded fabric according to the pattern of I utilize body blank such as is used for making Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is a fragmentary back view of the garments of conventional type and overlap front upper porflgn of t blank h w in Fig 4 shoulder straps thereof with flaps integral with 10 with the'top edges of the rear shoulder straps and projecting laterally from sleeve members attached to the end edges of flaps extending and connected with and providing anchorages laterally from armhole edges of front sections for back shoulder straps of the body blank. of sleeves; Fig. 8 is a, fragmentary top 'plan view Similarly, the back shoulder straps of the body of the partly assembled garment shown in Fig. blank are overl pp d by ps integral W and after the top edges of the front shoulder straps projecting laterally from the sleeve blanks and have been attached to the end edges of folded c n ted w th d providing a es for over sections of flaps extending laterally from the front shoulder straps. the armhole edges of rear sections of sleeve The shoulder straps and sleeve flaps are pr blanks; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of the partly erably formed of knitted fabric and the Wales of assembled garment shown in Fig. 8 after the the sleeve flaps extend transversely to the wales sleeves and attached flaps have been folded into of the shoulder straps. so that the shoulder positions for seaming the sleeves to the body; Straps fi h primarily laterally of the garment and Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view taken and the sleeve flaps stretch primarily longituon the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 9. l dinally of the garment. .This transverse stretch- My invention is applicable to garments of varability f e pped straps and flaps fac ious types but is particularly applicable to undertates the expansion of the neck opening substanwear (having a body composed of fabric having bially t0 e fu l t 0f t e garment between a lateral stretch, viz., a stretch circumferenthe armholes, and the resiliency of the fabrics tially'around t e garment. and in the preferred 'tends to restore the straps and flaps to normal embodiment of my invention shoulder straps Overlapping position d p p r tion f the composed of fabric stretchable laterally of the shoulder inner edges to the base of the neck of garment are secured t and anchored by flap the wearer. composed of fabric having its principal stretch The principles and characteristics of my longitudinally of the garment. Such transverse ti a d t manner a p s f a stretchings of the shoulder straps and anchoring constructing and using my impro ed garment flaps may be conveniently provided by cutting will further appear from the accomp g d the body and shoulder straps from weft knit fab- S and the f i g planation of the best 'ric having its wales extending longitudinally of mode in whichIhave contemplated applying such the shoulder straps and body and cutting the p p l 40 sleeves and flaps from weft knit fabric so thatthe In the drawin s, Fig. 1 is a front view of a wales thereof extend transversely of the flaps,

childs waist or undershirt embodying my inviz.. lengthwise of the sleeves. 1

Vention; 2 is a back view of the garme t- The body of the garment is preferably cut from shown in Fig. l with parts broken away; F tubular fabric which when flattened has a width is a pattern for guiding the cutting of ailatapproximating the width ofthe finished garment, tened tubular fabric to forms. blank from which and h may be onveniently cut by layinga, a conventional garment may be made but which conventional pattern, such as shown in Fig. .3. by my inventio i adaptable to the manufacture lengthwise along the top-of a stacked series of of garments having overlappin shoulder straps flattened tubular fabrics. l

and flaps providing an expansible neck; Fig. .4 The pattern, and the blanks cut in accordance is a plan view of a blank out according to the therewith, have substantially parallel side edges pattern of Fig. 3 after the original edge folds l and 2, a bottom edge 3 which may be of any of the blank have been shifted 90 circumferdesired CQIlf/OlJlLfi/Ild a top edge 4 which is subentially of the blank and the blank refiattened, stantially normal to the side edges l and Z. The

and from. which a conventional garmentmignt upper corners of the pattern and fabricblank are cut on arcuate lines and 6, which may be of equal or unequal length or contour, to provide front and back neck recesses of desired depth. A segment is excised from each layer of the blank along the curved downwardly converging lines "I and 8 to form armhole in the usual manner..

A blank so cut is turned about an axis so that the sections forming the original edges l and 2 are brought to the center of the front and back of the reflattened blank, whereby the neck rccesses 5a and 6a formed by the cuts along the lines 5 and 6 are brought into complementary relation to form a neck Opening; md each pair of edges and 8a formed bythe cuts along the lines I and B are brought into complementary relation to provide armholes on opposite sides I of the garment. The fabric lying between the plane of the neck recess 5a and armhole edges it provide front shoulder straps 9 having top edges H1, and theefabric section lying between the plane of the neck recess fia and the armhole edges an form back shoulder straps l I having top edges. l2. 7

Theto-p edges ill and I2 might be seamed to one another to. make a conventional undergarment, but in accordancewith my invention such edges lliand 12 are not secured directly to one another, but are respectively secured to the respective juxtaposed end edges 13 and M of flaps lfixand l6 formed integrally, on the front and back sections of a sleeve member H. The flaps l5 and 16' project laterally from the armhole edge It of the sleeve member I! and the members" 15,-. i6 and I? may be conveniently shaped bylaying'a pattern, such as shown in Fig. 5, upon a folded strip of knitted fabric having wales extending substantially parallel to the fold line of the fabric, viz., in the direction of the length of'the sleeve and of the width of the flaps l5 and 1E. The pattern is, of course, turned in cutting the sleeves of a pair. r

. The flaps l5 and It have preferably somewhat the contour of isosceles triangles and may be partially severed from the sleeve member I1 by notches l9 and 2!! to facilitate the manipulation ofthe parts,

The top edges of the shoulder straps are connected with the wider ends of the sleeve flaps in any desired sequence but so that the front shoulder strap edges it! are connected to the edges M of sleeve back flaps l6 and the back shoulder strap edges 52 are connected to the'edges I3 of the sleeve front flaps l5.

As'indicated by way "o e mple in Fig. "I, the

edges 12 and. is may be first seamed to one another in abutted or overlapped relation by seams extending transversely of the garment and with the wales of the sleeve flaps l5 extending transversely to the wales of the back straps H.

Thefl'aps It may then be inserted between the front la and the back 2d of'the garmeht'and the section adjacent to the edge l4 bent over to bring theedges lb and i4 into juxtaposed, abuttedor overlapped relation and with the wales of'the flaps lfiextending transversely to the Wales of thefront straps H], as illustrated in Fig. 8.

The edges it and M are then seamed, or otherwise secured to one another; the "seams being parallel with but slightly'spa'ced from the seams joining the edges l2 and l3.

. The sleeve blank I! may now be folded over ,gt'o bring the armhole edge ill of the sleeve blank ,ljl into seaming relation to the armhole edges of the front and ba'ck'b'ody fabric, as indicated 'm'ent having a 'se'ction'adjacent to said armhole and provided with a shoulder edgetransverse to 4 in Fig. 9. The complementary edges of the body, sleeves and flaps, and the complementary edges of the sleeves, are then seamed to one another to produce the garment shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Any desired reinforcing stitches and fasteners may be applied to the garment as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The portions of the sleeve flaps adjacent to the armholes are anchored in the armhole seams and provide elastic and resilient anchorages for the shoulder straps with which the respective flaps are connected. The edges of the flaps remote from the armholes are free and provide continuations of the edges of the neck recesses 5a and ca.

By my improved construction, and particularly by providing strap anchoring flaps capable of stretching longitudinally of the garment, the head opening may be expanded to substantially the full width of the garment between the tops of the armholes. By pulling on the front la and back 20 after'the neck opening has been expanded, the flaps and straps are restored to overlapping relation and the sides of the neck opening again restored to normal.

My invention minimizes the amount of fabric required for making an eX-pansible neck garment, and permits the use of standard body :blanks in the construction thereof.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A body garment having front and back shoulder straps, each of said straps having a top edge adjacent to the medial horizontal shoulder line, and a sleeve member having a pair of flaps integrally connected with armhole edges of said member, said flaps having adjacent end edges when said Sleeve member is folded to form the front and back of a sleeve, the top edge of a back shoulder strap being connected with an end edge of the sleeve front fiap and the top edge of a front shoulder strap being connected with an end edge of the sleeve back flap.

2. A body garment having a front and a back each having a pair of shoulder straps with top edges and Wales extending transversely to said edges, and a pair of sleeve members each having a front and back with integral flaps projecting laterally from the armhole edges thereof said members and their integral flaps having continuous wales, the top edges of the front shoulder straps being connected 'with the ends of the sleeve back flaps and the top edges of the back shoulder straps being connected with the ends of the sleeve front flaps and the wales of the straps extending transversely to the wales of the flaps connected therewith.

3. A body garment having a front section and a back section, at least one of said sections having a pair of shoulder straps with top edges extending substantially transversely of the garment, a pair of sleeves each having front and backsections'an'd at least onesection of each sleeve having an integral flapprojecting laterally from the armhole edge thereof and having an end edge extending transversely to the armhole edge, the top 'ed'geof each of said shoulder straps being con-- nected with an end edge'of a sleeve flap aforesaid.

"4. A garment comprising a body having a front and a back and containing an armhole, said garthe length of said body, said section having a stretch primarily inone direction, and a sleeve having its upper edge adjacent to said shoulder edge, said sleeve being attached to said body along the edge of said armhole and having an integral flap projecting laterally from said armhole and connected with the transverse edge of and anchoring said section, said flap having a stretch primarily transverse to the direction of stretch of said section.

5. A sleeve blank for a garment comprising a sleeve-forming member having an armhole edge and integral flaps projecting laterally from said armhole edge said flaps having wales continuous with the wales of the sleeve forming member, said flaps having approximately the form of isosceles triangles with their bases adjacent to one another.

6. In a method of forming a garment from a body blank having a front and a back each having shoulder sections with juxtaposed edges and a sleeve blank having a front and back having an armhole edge and provided with lateral flaps having edges extending transversely to the armhole edge, the steps which comprise attaching a transverse edge of a front lateral flap to an aforesaid edge of a back shoulder section and attaching a transverse edge of a back lateral flap to an aforesaid edge of a front shoulder section.

20 Number ALBERT GEORGE NEEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Langham Sept. 1, 1903 Hatch Apr. 27, 1926 Crossingham July 31, 1928 Sheridan Nov. 19, 1940 Freedman June 25, 1946 Heilbronner Oct. 29, 1946 

